"Whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, exercise yourselves in these things."

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Keep pulsing until the ingredients start to stick together. Once a sort of "dough" is formed, test a small piece and roll it into a ball and then form a small square. If the square holds its shape and doesn't completely crumble, you are ready to form it into bars. If the dough crumbles about a couple more teaspoons of peanut butter and pulse the dough in the food processor until it is completely mixed. You should have enough dough to make 4 bars. I recommend using parchment paper to form the bars. After you have formed the bars, place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before eating. The longer they are in the fridge, the better they will hold their shape. I also believe they taste better after being in the fridge for a while. There are so many amazing ways you can change this recipe!

You can add white raisins or chocolate chips to the recipe.

You can also rough chop some walnuts and add them to the mixture towards the end by pressing the pieces into the already formed dough.

You can completely change the recipe and use cashews or almonds.

You can add dried cherries, cranberries, or dehydrated bananas.

You can add oats, chia seeds, or flax seeds

You can use almond or cashew butter instead of peanut butter

The list goes on and on! Just have fun with your favorite ingredients since it's such a simple recipe!

I hope you enjoy your homemade bars everyone, and please feel free to comment if you have any questions or suggestions! :)

This message is for all the women and girls who have felt pressured by someone to do something that they didn't really want to do. You felt pressured, and you didn't know exactly how to say, "No!". You felt pressured, and so you talked yourself into thinking that maybe you DID want to do it. You went for it, but after it was over you thought, "I really did NOT want to do that after all!" and you feel completely and utterly terrible! "Why did I have to be so weak?" you say. "God, I am such a slut!" you scream. This is the moment your self-esteem takes a major blow, but hold on a minute, there's something you should know! Just because you made a mistake, DO NOT beat yourself up over it! Love yourself, respect yourself, forgive yourself - NO MATTER WHAT! Don't allow a regrettable experience give birth to self-hatred. Because once self-hatred is born, you start to lose your self-respect. Once you lose your self-respect, you'll end up in even more situations where you do things that you 'didn't really want to do'. After a while, it doesn't really matter whether you wanted to do them or not, because you start to think, "Screw it, it's all the same, and I'm used to it by now." You end up continually putting yourself in dangerous situations and abusing your body because you 'obviously deserve it'. Listen to me, you don't deserve it! No woman or girl deserves to feel used-up, depressed, and hopeless! We've ALL made mistakes! Some of us have made one or two, and some of us have made a hundred! But no matter who you are or how many mistakes you've made, please remember these five things:

1. YOU ARE ONLY HUMAN!

Human's are prone to make mistakes, in fact, it's a natural part of life. If we didn't make mistakes, we wouldn't learn anything, and therefore we would never evolve. There would be absolutely no room for growth, and we would all be pretty freakin' dull. Please realize that every single living creature has made some sort of mistake at one point, and you're not the only one - not even close! Instead of beating yourself up, try to think of what you can learn from your mistake(s) and how you can grow into a better, wiser, more rounded person.

2. IT'S OKAY TO FORGIVE YOURSELF!

Even if you're super hard on yourself, and you feel like mistakes are just NOT acceptable, you still need to forgive yourself. If you don't forgive yourself, the unforgiveness will eat you alive! Holding onto guilt will not only have a horrible effect on your emotional and mental health, but it will take a major toll on your physical health as well. Not forgiving yourself could quite possibly be the biggest and worst mistake possible, so just let it go! It's time to give yourself a second chance. You WON'T regret it.

3. IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START OVER!

Maybe you've forgiven yourself, and it's made a huge difference, but there's still way more to your story! Your life is out of control, and you feel like you're just too far gone. You have health problems, you're on too much medication, you have been divorced 3 times, you can barely support your kids with your dead-end job... but wait, don't give up! There's always a way that you can start over, and there's always hope for a better life! It's all about where your mind is at. If you make an attempt to think and live in a more positive way, and you quit giving into negativity, your life will definitely turn around for the better. Just give it a try, what do you have to lose?

4. YOU ARE STILL WORTH SOMETHING - IN FACT, YOU ARE PRICELESS!

Now that you're a new person, it's time to start thinking of yourself in a different way. You have to completely change your perspective. Picture yourself as a princess! You are royalty, baby! Not only do you require respect, you deserve to be worshiped! If anyone is foolish enough to mistreat you even in the slightest, they are forever banished from your kingdom - with NO exceptions! In other words, find someone that treats you right, find someone who adores you! But before you find the right one, you need to be able to love and take care of yourself first! It really is true that you can't give love, and you can't receive love, until you love yourself.

5. DON'T FORGET, YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE & IT ONLY BELONGS TO YOU!

Last but not least, you need to recognize that the only thing that even comes close to being more important than loving yourself is your ability to make choices! Now that you're living a more positive life as a new person, you should absolutely cherish and protect your freedom to make choices. And remember, they are YOUR choices and no one else's! Never again will you allow someone to manipulate you. You're way too strong of a woman to let some fool try to pressure you! You've been there, done that, and learned from your past mistakes (see this is where those mistakes come in handy!) You're a new woman now, a strong, beautiful, intelligent woman that deserves nothing but the best that this world has to offer and NEVER FORGET THAT!

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Why is it that sometimes we feel like the decision we are facing is the most difficult decision we've ever had to make? Even though it doesn't seem like such a big deal to everyone else, it is to us! Whether it is starting a new job, quitting an old one, going on a date with someone new, or getting back with someone from our past, it's a really difficult decision and it's making us crazy! I mean, we are having arguments with our friends and family over this, because we are just so completely stressed out and totally losing it! Why can't we just make up our minds and move forward? Why does it have to be so hard? Well, one of the biggest reasons we find it hard to move forward is because we have something that is holding us back. There's something we haven't dealt with, or something we haven't faced. Oh, but wait a minute... we don't even want to go there! We just want to move forward with our lives and forget all about our past. Why can't it just be that simple? Let's just start over, live a completely new life! Wouldn't that be wonderful?! But the truth of the matter is that we can't deny who we really are and pretend that we are someone new. Sure, we could play that game for a while, but it would inevitably catch up with us. This is real life, not the movies! So what do we do in this situation? I mean, time's running out and we have to make up our minds! Well....

First and foremost, we have to recognize the following:

We can't figure things out on our own

We're not capable of making a decision on our own

We're making a huge mess out of everything

It's okay to ask for help

It's okay to admit we're afraid

It's time to place everything into God's hands

It's time to completely trust in Him

The minute we decide to place our burden into God's hands, we will literally feel the heavy, oppressive weight lifting off of our shoulders. It's complete relief and total peace! You see, God wants us to turn to Him whenever we need anything at all! It doesn't matter how big or small the issue is, He will take care of it for us. So when you're ready to explode because people you turned to for help are saying things like, "I don't know what the big deal is, why are you freaking out over nothing?!", just take a deep breath because God's response will be the complete opposite! He will most likely say something like, " I know that you are going through a tough time, but I will help you every step of the way. I will help you deal with your past, your present and your future. I will help you make the right decision, and I will help you align your will with mine." Basically, HE WILL HELP YOU! God doesn't audibly speak to you, well sometimes he actually does, but most of the time He speaks to you through His word, and through prayer and meditation. He has helped me numerous times in my life, so many I can't even keep track. So next time you're facing a tough decision, try turning it over to God before you do anything else, and you will see what a difference that move will make. I hope these words of advice have helped some of you! Much love and respect to all of you and God bless! - Cara

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Influenster is a great site where you can review products and experiences. I became a member of Influenster and received a #BellaVoxBox which was full of great complimentary products that I get to review.

Let me just say that I am impressed by every single product! The EcoTools Complexion Collection Mattifying Finish Brush is by far the softest, most gentle make-up brush I have every used. It makes my make-up look amazing, and literally soothes my skin every time I use it. The Dove Real Fruit Chocolate Covered Blueberries are delicious! I never used to like dark chocolate because it was always too bitter for my taste, but the subtle sweetness of the blueberries turns the chocolate into something really special. I've already gone through 2 whole bags since I got my sample! The Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss is a beautiful color, and it really does last, but the Rimmel London Scandaleyes Mascara by Kate is my favorite! The brush has a unique curve that helps me to be able to apply the mascara onto every lash without any smudges, and the color is REALLY dark, which is just what I like! The Not Your Mother's Deja Vu Du Style Extender makes my hair smell great, and it stays soft and clean for up to 3 whole days! That means I don't have to worry about washing my hair every day and drying it out. The wine from Club W is awesome! I was so impressed! If you want more info on Club W - I posted something about it here. Okay, last but not least, the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs is a great product! It literally transformed my legs, and I was wearing shorts for the first time this year. It covers up any kind of imperfections, and the color is golden - NOT ORANGE! I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to review all these products because I probably would have never used them otherwise. Thank you so much Influenster for this great opportunity! YOU ROCK!

I'm so happy that I also received a coupon for a FREE BOTTLE of WINE from Club W all thanks to Inluenster! Club W is the world's only personalized wine of the month club with 3 bottles a month for only $39 and $6 flat rate shipping. It gets better, Club W COVERS SHIPPING on orders of 6 or more bottles! I'm not ashamed to admit that I LOVE happy hour and quality wine, and Club W brings them both everyday! Did I mention that Club W will help customize your wine for you? Just take a quick, easy, and fun quiz on the site! For those of you who are interested in receiving a free bottle of wine, use code #Spring4Wine at Club W's checkout! Salute!